“You didn't lose your hat, did you? If you did, you'll have to stomp on the condor to get it back.”

—Narration, Super Mario 64

Kleptos[1] (also known as Klepto the Condors[2]) are larcenous, heavy-lidded condors that first appear in Super Mario 64. Since then, they have continued to make infrequent appearances in the Mario franchise. Their name comes from "klepto-", a prefix originating from Ancient Greek and meaning "theft".

In Super Mario 64, a Klepto (also called Big Bird[3]) is seen in Shifting Sand Land. He holds one of the castle'sPower Stars, so Mario must reclaim it from his talons. Mario can attack the bird, knocking him out for a short period of time. The Klepto eventually regains his senses, and after losing the Power Star, he attempts to steal Mario's Cap. If he leaves and still has no cap, it remains in the course he lost it in.

In Super Mario Odyssey, a Klepto is encountered upon reaching the Lost Kingdom. He takes Cappy from Mario and retreats with him on a pedestal, made up of two platforms: one that is raised, and one that is lower. To get Cappy back, Mario must lure Klepto into sitting upon the lower platform, and then Ground Pound the higher one, making the platform Klepto is sitting upon shoot up and defeat him. A Klepto appears again in a Moon Pipe sub-area in the same kingdom, and is defeated in the same manner.

Unlike the Kleptos of Super Mario 64, this Klepto has two toes pointing forward and one pointing backward on each foot. It shares this trait with the Kleptos of Mario Pinball Land.

A Klepto also appears in Mario Party 4 on Shy Guy's Jungle Jam. Players can pay him five coins to be transported to the other side of the board, collecting coins in the process. In Paths of Peril, Klepto picks up players that falls off the stage.

In Mario Party 5, a Klepto has its own orb where, if landed on, it appears and takes the character to another character's space determined by a roulette. They also cameo in the minigame Fish Upon a Star. In the instruction guide, Klepto's name is erroneously spelled Clepto.

In Mario Party 6, a Klepto can be seen flying in the background of Pokey Punch-out. The Klepto Orb returns as an orb that can only be placed on a space. Any player who lands on it is taken back to the start of the board. In the Solo Mode board Thirsty Gulch, another Klepto can be seen flying around the board.